Ludum Dare 20 Entries

This past Monday marked the end of the 20th Ludum Dare challenge, where indie devs are given 48 hours to create a game around a common theme. The theme for this competition was, “It’s Dangerous to go Alone! Take this!“; which is a phrase that has become a common hallmark for roguelikes and RPGs. I expected to see quite a few games that were reminiscent of these themes, but playing through a few of the games has really surprised me. Overall, there were 352 entries that you can rate until May 23rd, when the winner will be chosen.

Highlights

I haven’t gotten to look through all 352 entries personally, but I did check out a few titles and I was amazed at the creativeness of several of them. Some are platforming adventures as is to be expected, while others are surrealistic experiences that barely qualify as a game. Of the few titles I had a chance to check out, some of them that I can recommend are Appy 1000mg, Clone Wolf, Diamond Hollow, Drum Hammer Dig, Grave Robbers, and Gemini.

Of the six games listed, the two I found most intriguing were Appy 1000mg and Gemini. In Appy 1000mg, you control a small character that wakes up with amnesia in a brightly colored world. As you explore, you soon find that the world isn’t as safe as you thought it was, and not all is as it appears to be.

Gemini is more of your standard platforming affair, but the hook here is that you control two characters. Gem and ini. Clever naming for the human and robot protagonists aside, I would love to see this game developed further. The controls are a little tricky to pick up at first, but using Gem and ini together to get through the levels is amazing fun.

If you’re interested in more Ludum Dare goodness, head on over to the main competition page and check out all the games that have been entered. If you feel so inclined, rate the games you play and maybe one of your favorites will be the winner of Ludum Dare 20!